Acupuncture - The Mighty Needle

Once an alternative treatment, acupuncture is moving into mainstream medicine, with research showing that it eases everything from stress to allergies to pain. Learn the latest on this powerful healing techniqueand how it can help you.

- Mirel Ketchiff

The next prescription from your doctor just might be for acupuncture instead of pain meds. As the science increasingly shows that the ancient Chinese therapy can be as effective as drugs, more doctors are acknowledging its legitimacy. At the same time, exciting new discoveries about how acupuncture works are also boosting its standing as a bona fide medical treatment overall. “There’s plenty of quality research supporting the use of acupuncture for a number of health conditions,” says Dr. Joseph F. Audette, the chief of the department of pain management at Atrius Health in Boston and an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School.

For starters, one groundbreaking new study from Indiana University School of Medicine found that acupuncture prompts the release of stem cells, which can help tendons and other tissues repair themselves, and also produces anti-inflammatory substances that are associated with healing. According to research at UCLA Medical Center, the needles cause the skin to trigger the release of molecules of nitric oxide—a gas that improves circulation in the smallest blood vessels in the skin. By carrying substances that can help dull pain and reduce inflammation, this microcirculation is essential to the healing process, says Dr. Sheng-Xing Ma, the lead author.